Ayman Mohamad Ghazali rams vehicle into West Bloomfield synagogue; security officers fatally shoot attacker

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali drove a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, then continued down an interior hallway before the vehicle caught fire and security officers shot and killed him, authorities said.

“Investigators work to determine exact reason for attack at Michigan synagogue Investigators are working to understand the exact reason a man with a rifle crashed into a Michigan synagogue in what federal officials say was an attack carried out by a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich”

ABC News

The FBI and local officials described the incident as an assault on one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues, and temple staff said preschool children and staff were safely evacuated.

ABC News

Multiple reports described a security officer struck by the vehicle and taken to hospital, while smoke from the burning vehicle led to dozens of officers and first responders being treated for smoke inhalation.

Authorities and federal agencies identified the attacker as 41‑year‑old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen who entered the United States on an immigrant visa in 2011 and was naturalized in 2016, and local reporting said he worked in Dearborn Heights.

Multiple outlets quoted community sources and municipal officials saying Ghazali had recently lost relatives in an airstrike in Lebanon, an account authorities are investigating as part of motive inquiries.

Anadolu Agency

Emergency response was rapid and extensive: temple security engaged the attacker and law enforcement and federal agencies swarmed the scene, while hospitals treated multiple first responders.

“The FBI later said he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”

Associated Press News

Local officials said a security guard who was struck by the vehicle was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious,

Henry Ford Health and other sources confirmed that at least eight first responders were treated at area hospitals, and sheriff’s briefings put the number of officers treated for smoke inhalation at roughly 30.

Federal and local investigators treated the case as a targeted act against the Jewish community and deployed large investigative teams, but officials repeatedly said the precise motive remained under active inquiry.

The FBI described the incident as a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,"

BBC

more than 100 federal agents and specialized teams were reported to be involved in the probe, and authorities cautioned that investigators were still determining what drove the attacker to act.

Community leaders and officials praised the synagogue’s security and condemned the attack while national and international figures expressed solidarity; local leaders urged vigilance and protection for houses of worship.

“Authorities later confirmed the suspect was deceased - The vehicle also caught fire, and smoke could be seen rising from the temple as dozens of police and emergency vehicles responded to the scene”

BBC

West Bloomfield and Dearborn officials said "everyone deserves to worship in peace" and condemned violence against houses of worship,

CBC

the sheriff and synagogue leaders hailed security staff as heroes for stopping the threat, and President Trump and Israeli officials publicly offered support to the Jewish community.